


Domesticating Kitty

by Freedom_Shamrock



Series: ML Fluff [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Marichat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-31 01:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8556628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: I heard there was a need for fluff fiction right now, and I can totally get behind that (since it completely got me through the post-election horror).  Have some unedited, plotless Marichat fluff.





	

It was probably luck that brought him to her that night. Luck that opened her eyes to really see what was needed. Luck that made it easy for her to make the most important decision in her career as Ladybug.

It was a clear Friday night in October, cool enough to need a jacket up on her balcony, but warm enough her fingers still worked without gloves. Though Marinette still had nearly two years of school before university, it wasn’t too early to start her portfolio. Since she was hoping she might fit in a seasonal internship or work experience at one of the smaller boutiques to strengthen her application, she actually felt a bit behind. Like her alter ego, she was a planner, and she’d gotten much better at pushing aside the panic of being overwhelmed. She strategized, shuffling all her other activities and responsibilities around to set aside one weekend every few months just for designing.

She stared out at the dark Paris skyline, hastily sketching inspiration from the city she loved. The deep plum and navy, broken up by the warm yellow glow of lights shining through windows, gave her a color scheme she was excited to work with. Unfortunately no designs sprung into her head fully formed.

As she alternated between her drawing and the source material, she caught the familiar scrabbling of claws and light thump of feet over rooftops. She glanced up just in time to see Chat Noir leap from a neighboring building to her rooftop. He met her eyes, looking a bit surprised, before his momentum took him over the edge and out of sight.

“Chat are you okay?” she called on reflex, surprised enough by his uncharacteristic lack of grace to be concerned. Her kitty could handle a fall, but that didn’t mean she liked it. She grimaced, realizing that Marinette shouldn’t be as casual as Ladybug was with him. "Chat Noir?“

There was the telltale thunk of his staff on the sidewalk, then a moment later he popped up onto her railing. "Good evening Princess.” She ran into him on occasion out of uniform, just before transforming or shortly after detransforming. It was just one of those work hazards that couldn’t be avoided. Fortunately, her friendship with Alya made for a perfect recurring excuse. He didn’t flirt with her the way he had that first time, but the nickname stuck.

“What are you doing out?” she asked, curious why her kitty hadn’t gone home when she had. "I mean, I saw Ladybug swing by hours ago… is there an akuma nearby?“ She fidgeted, hoping it made her look nervous.

"No akumas today.” He tucked away his compacted staff. "Just felt like doing a bit of running.“

She looked at him carefully. He hadn’t lied, but there was definitely something he wasn’t telling her.

She always knew when he was off or holding back, and now that she thought about it, he’d been unusually tense and light on puns all week. "Want a snack?” she asked.

His neon green eyes went wide, and his smile changed into something more genuine. "Yeah. But… I wouldn’t want to be a bother.“

"It’s no bother.” It was nice to see him happier. "You are one of Paris’ heroes, after all. I think you deserve treats now and then.“ She lifted the hatch to drop onto her bed. "You want to come pick out your own, or do you purrrfurr a surprise?”

“Princess, you punned!” He was beaming now.

“Only for you, Kitty,” she said.

“I’ll take the surpurrise,” he replied.

“Make yourself comfortable.” She waved to the lone pink and white lounger.

“Would it be okay…” He picked up her closed design book and held it out. “May I look?”

She bit her lip, trying to think what was in this particular book.

“I understand if you don’t want me to,” he said, quickly, setting it back on the table. "I’ve just heard you’re very talented, and I wanted to see it for myself.“

"It’s okay Kitty. You can look,” she insisted. "But no judging. I’m not sure what all is in there, and some experiments are…" She mock shuddered. "Calling them doomed to fail, is too kind. But I have to be willing to make disasters if I’m going try new things.“

When she came back with a plate of pastries, he seemed engrossed in her designs, one claw running gently over lines. When she returned with two mugs of hot chocolate, he was looking at tonight’s work.

"You’re amazing, princess,” he murmured, as she gently bumped her hip against his, forcing him to scootch over and share the lounger, which only barely worked because they were both pretty thin. He tapped on the sketches of the view from her balcony. "What are you going to do with these?“

She pulled the book partway toward her, so they each had half, resting on their thighs. "I haven’t decided yet. I’m going to spend tomorrow and the next day working on designs, and while I’d like to use these as inspiration for at least some of them, they may not turn out.” She used her finger tip to blend the shading in one spot a bit more. “I want to evoke this feeling, but I’m not aiming for a rooftop pattern. That’d be… too direct. Tacky.”

“You’re aiming for subtlety, then.” The weight of his head settled on her shoulder, and it made her heart hurt. He’d done it a few times to Ladybug when she caught him having an awful day. "I know you can do it,“ he murmured.

Careful not to dislodge him, she tugged away the book and closed it so there was room for the plate of pastries. "Good kitties get treats.”

He chuckled and sat back up. "Thank you Princess.“

She handed him his mug of cocoa. "You’re welcome. And…” she hesitated, but forced herself to finish the thought, because this was one of the few situations where meek and unassuming Marinette could do things Ladybug couldn’t. "If you need to talk or anything, I’m willing to listen. And if you don’t want to talk, but just need someone to sit with, I can do that too.“

He looked down, probably embarrassed, but she couldn’t see if he was blushing in this low light. "You’re too perceptive. You know that?”

She grinned at him. “Yes. But that’s a good thing, if it means I can help you, even a little.”

He was halfway through his first raspberry and cheese danish before he cracked. "I don’t have a home.“

"What?” She straightened up, splashing cocoa onto her sweatshirt. "You’re homeless?“

He quickly shook his head. "No, no. I didn’t mean it that way.” He snorted. “I’m not always great with words. Sorry.” He patted her hand and waited until she reclined again. "I live in a house, but it’s not a home. Not like you have. Not like my friends have. It’s just a place, with no emotion or warmth.“ He sighed. "Most of the time I can handle it. But sometimes it's… too much. And I feel so alone and cold.”

“Is that why you were running?” she asked, catching his near hand in both of hers.

He nodded. "I can’t help but remember everything Ladybug and I have done for Paris when I revisit places we’ve fought akumas. It reminds me that I’m valuable.“

Angry that someone made him feel so useless, she clenched her jaw and set her mug on the floor. Shoving the plate fully into his lap, she had room to roll onto her side and wrap her arms around him. Because she was so much shorter, her face was burrowed awkwardly into his ribs. "You are valuable,” she insisted. "Please never forget that. You mean so much to so many of us.“

* * *

The first time she found Chat lounging in her pink and white chair in the evening, he’d given her the excuse that the smell of the bakery and view of the stars were soothing.

"Chat,” she said, raising an eyebrow. "It’s cloudy, and my parents are asleep, so there’s nothing baking right now.“

He smirked. "I have a good imagination. All I need is your presence, or your lounge chair, to give me an anchor so it feels real.” That hint of unhappiness was lurking in his eyes again.

She smiled and shook her head. "Silly kitty. It’s cold out here.“

He shrugged. "It’s not so bad.”

Rolling her eyes, she ducked back into her room just long enough to retrieve a blanket. “If you’re going to sit out here, you should at least be comfortable. I can’t be responsible for Chat Noir getting sick. Where would Ladybug be without you?”

He shrugged. "I can fight akumas when I’m ill.“ He glanced up when she made a disagreeable sound. "I’ve done it before.” He hesitated a moment. "Uh, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention that to her, if you happen to see her, though.“

Her hands ended up on her hips as she glared at him. "I’m pretty sure she’d forgive you if you couldn’t make it because you were sick.”

“My Lady is very forgiving,” he agreed with a smile that reminded her of Adrien when he wasn’t allowed to let anyone know how he really felt. “But my boss at my other job is not. I’m used to working when I’m sick. I’ve gotten good at hiding it.”

As Ladybug, she knew he was about the same age as she was, but she hadn’t known that he worked. It explained some of the crazy busy schedule that he’d been careful to only note in passing. "You work?“ she asked, all the heat and anger defused in an instant. From things they’d experienced, she’d always assumed he had an upper class background. Had she been wrong? Was that why he was so skinny?

"Family business.” He shrugged. "My father definitely doesn’t need my paycheck to get by. But it’s also not something I can get out of.“

"You want some cocoa?” she asked. "I’m making some for myself.“

"Only if it’s no trouble,” he insisted, looking up at the clouds.

“It never is.” She was standing on her bed, the skylight still open, when she realized he needed to know. "You know, you don’t need an excuse to come back, right? You don’t need an explanation. Just come over.“

"You sure?” His voice was so uncertain she would never have guessed it was her overconfident partner.

“Yes.”

“Thanks, Princess.” She could hear the tension melting away in his voice. "That means a lot.“

***

When she returned to her room after dinner one night, she had a feeling he was there. She glanced out at the heavy wet snowflakes tumbling past her windows. It was way earlier than his usual visits, but she opened the skylight anyway. Sure enough, he was huddled on her chair, tucked all the way into the corner under the awning, but still getting splattered.

"Come in Kitty. It’s too miserable for you out here.” She left the window open while she went to get a large towel. He’d come in, but hadn’t gotten past the ladder by the time she returned. Her arms wrapped around him along with the soft terry cloth. She vigorously rubbed at his arms and shoulders, before more gently patting his hair. He let out a tremendous shiver. "You cold?

“Yeah,” he admitted quietly.

“We could… um…” Would it be too forward? It just seemed like what he needed, and her instincts had yet to lead her wrong on this. She gestured to her computer and chaise. "Want to watch a movie? I’ve got a big blanket that’s great for cuddling.“

He froze, then leaned his forehead against hers. "You’d cuddle with me?”

“Well, yeah.” She hoped it sounded obvious. "You’re my Kitty. And I understand some kitties like cuddles.“

"I like being your Kitty,” he whispered.

She started the video, some anime Alya had recommended, then joined him under the blanket. Since they were going into this knowing they were cuddling, he seemed to have no qualms about slipping an arm around her and tangling their feet together. After a few minutes, he settled his head on her shoulder. There was something she’d been wanting to try, partly to see how cat-like he really was, and partly because his hair looked so soft. She supposed it was as good a time as any.

She reached up and ran a finger down the back of his black cat ear. His head left her shoulder so he could look at her.

“Can you actually feel that?” she asked, gently rubbing the ear between two fingers. It was like leather, but warmer, like skin.

“Yeah.” He chuckled. "But it’s a faint sensation.“

"I’m gonna try something. You let me know if you want me to stop, okay?” It wasn’t like she was going to jump on him on anything, but it was odd, and she kind of felt like she needed his permission.

He nodded, his face intense.

Her fingers threaded through the blond tangles to stroke against his scalp. His eyes fluttered closed as he let out something that sounded like a gasp crossed with a whimper. He went boneless, collapsing against her chest. She giggled, but continued burrowing her hand through his soft hair. "Such a soft kitty,“ she whispered. She slipped her other hand into the wild mane at the back of his head. He made that sound again, a little louder this time.

She made a point of massaging every part of his scalp, finding the spots he seemed to like best. Right around the base of his black cat ears, which were fused with his head, not just settled in his hair, was a favorite, as was behind his real ears. He alternated between pushing his head harder into her hands, and pressing his body against hers. It strongly reminded her of a cat rubbing up against her legs. By the time her fingers were getting tired and slowing down, he’d wriggled his hands under her shoulders to cling to her, and his face was snug against her neck. She could tell his mouth was open, his breath coming in hot puffs, and the tips of his transformed teeth grazing her skin.

"Such a good kitty,” she murmured, wanting him to feel loved and content, things she was feeling for some reason.

She felt the vibration in his chest, pressed to her own, before the undulating rumble became audible. Chat Noir purred! She had to bite her lip to hold back the squeal. Since she couldn’t be sure it was a regular response from him, she didn’t want to call it out in case he stopped or got embarrassed. She’d known him just over two years as Ladybug and had no idea how much of a cat he was.

After a few minutes, the low thrum wound down and vanished. He nuzzled her neck, briefly brushing his jaw against hers before pushing himself up onto his side. His eyelids were droopy and he had the goofiest smile on his face.

“So that was okay, right?” she asked. "You seemed to like it, but I want to be sure.“

He nodded. "My princess is the best cuddler ever,” he declared. Uncertainty briefly crossed his face. "Did I get too weird?“

Marinette shook her head. "My Kitty is silly, but not weird.” She reached out and stroked one cheek lightly. "I think you needed it, and I liked giving you that.“ She grinned. "I love your purr.”

His eyes widened for a moment. "I purr?“

She finally let the giggle out. "It’s a beautiful sound. It meant you were relaxed and calm, because I know you weren’t scared or in pain. I’d like to hear it again in the future.”

A little pink brushed his cheeks, and he flopped back onto the pillows. "Does that mean you’re willing to cuddle with me again?“

"Of course.” She settled in next to him, so she could press her ear against his chest. "I’ll be taking good care of you, Kitty. So you just let me know when you need cuddles or snacks or someone to listen.“

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Cuddles


End file.
